Manure-spreader.



T. BROWN.

MANURE SPREADER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 6, 1909,

Patented June 17, 1913.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THEOPI-IILUS BROWN, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO RICHARDSONMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OFMASSACHUSETTS.

MANUR-E-SPREADER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 17, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, TIIEOPIULUS Brown, acitizen of the United States, residing at Vorcester, in the county of-Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented anew anduseful Improvement in Manure-Spreaders, of which the following is aspecification, accompanied by drawings forming a part of the same, inwhich Figure 1 is a side view of a manure spreader embodying my presentinvention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view, on the plane of thebroken line 22, Fig. 3. Fig. 3 represents the forward end of thespreader.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in the differentfigures.

My present invention relates to the construction of the movable bottomand its operating mechanism and it has for its object to enable anendless movable bottom to be employed without interfering with themovement of the forward supporting wheels of the spreader.

Referring to the accompanying drawings 1 denotes the body of thespreader supported on the rear wheels 2 and the forward wheels 3 which,in the present instance, are smaller than the rear wheels and placednearer together upon a front axle 1 having a hinged connection with thebody of the spreader, by which the front axle may be rocked about acentral vertical axis by means of a king bolt connect-ion as is usual invehicles of this class.

The movable bottom 5 comprises a series of narrow slats 6 hingedtogether and extending transversely across the body to form a bottomtherefor which is supported against the load of manure resting thereonby a series of rolls 7 turning freely on gudgeons supported by theframework of the body. The slats 6 are joined together to form anendless movable bottom which is supported at its ends upon sprocketwheels 8 and 9, carried upon transverse shafts, to the rearmost one ofwhich power is applied to rotate the sprocket wheels and move theendless bottom in the direction of the arrow 10, Fig. 2, during theoperation of spreading a load of manure. The rollers 7 supporting theendless bottom are arranged in a line substantially parallel with thelower edge of the body from the rear end of the body to a point near theforward end, from which point, as at 11, Fig. 2, the supporting rollersare arranged in an ascending inclined plane, as at 7 Fig. 2, so as tocarry the upper port-ion of the movable bottom over the top of thesprocket wheel 8. The sprocket wheel 8 is elevated sufliciently to allowthe lower portion of the movable bottom to pass over the cross bar 12which supports the forward end of the body and is in turn supported uponthe forward axle 4. The movable bot tom is arranged to run loosely Overthe sprockets 8 and 9 and the sagging of the upper portion of the bottomis prevented by the supporting rollers 7 and 7 Near the forward sprocketwheel 8 I place a roller 13 which prevents the sagging of the lowerportion of the endless bottomointo the space required for swinging theforward wheels beneath the body. I also preferably provide. a secondsupporting roller 14 journaled in brackets 15 depending from the sidesof the body in order to support the lower portion of the movable bottomand prevent undue sagging.

When the bottom has hitherto been made continuous in the form of anendless apron, it has been customary to either incline the entire bottomor to reduce the size of the front wheels. In the former case, the laborof loading over the sides of the body has been largely increased and, inthe latter case, the use of small front wheels upon soft or unevenground has been undesirable. I avoid the above named disadvantages andenable the main portion of the bottom, and consequently the sides, to belowered to secure an easy loading of the spreader and, at the same time,employ front wheels of considerable size.

I claim,

1. In a manure spreader, a body, a movable bottom, a pair of parallelrows of rolls extending lengthwise the body, with the forward ends ofsaid rows upwardly extended at an oblique angle to the remaining portionof said rows and forming a support for said movable bottom.

2. In a manure spreader, a body having a transverse cross bar at itsforward end, a movable bottom for said body, sprocket wheels forsupporting said movable bottom cross bar, and supporting means for saidat the opposite ends of the body, with the ward part of said movablebottom is eleforemost sprocket Wheel elevated to carry vated. saidmovable bottom above said forward Dated this third day of November 1909.THEOPHILUS BROXVN. Witnesses:

PENELOPE OOMBERBACH, NELLIE XV'HALEN.

movable bottom between said sprocket Wheels, havmg an oblique angle nearthe foremost sprocket Wheel, whereby the 1501' Copies of this patent maybe obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner ofPatents,

Washington, D. C.

